The media hype surrounding British schoolgirl Jenny Teague, the 12-year-old mother of a three-month-old baby, brought the issue of pre- teenage sex into public awareness during July. One may decry the motives of publicity guru Max Clifford, who brought the story of "the scandal that shocked Britain" to the attention of the media. I think there were two scandals in the story: the exploitation of a pre-teen girl, who earned notoriety by being labelled "Britain's Youngest Mum", and the scandal of making large amounts of money out of her notoriety.

I was equally saddened by the publicity surrounding the 11-yearold Bedfordshire boy Sean Stewart, who is soon to become a father. His next door neighbour, 15-yearold Emma Webster, is pregnant with his child.

Emma has said she thought Sean was about 14, as he was very big for his age.

While, thankfully, such early pregnancies are rare, they also happen here. In 1995, one 12-year-old, one 13-year-old, 10 14-yearolds and 45 15-year-old girls had babies in Ireland.

There is a widespread assumption that older boys make sexual advances to girls who are younger than them. This may have been true in the past, but it is rapidly changing.

Self-confident young girls who believe in sexual equality have no hesitation in approaching boys their own age or even younger. In many instances, ill-prepared young lads who have not yet reached puberty are approached by romantically inclined and more mature young girls who want to "go with" them. Some are coerced into saying "yes" because they do not have the social skills to refuse uninvited advances.

As the new school year begins, it is likely that once again the controversy about the introduction of formal sex education in the classroom will be debated.

A small but very vocal minority of people are opposed to the Relationships and Sexuality Education programme on the basis that it takes away a child's innocence. They appear to confuse ignorance, which is a lack of information, with innocence.

Many parents are in denial about the early sexualisation of children. This denial can be a defence mechanism the psyche uses to protect itself from knowledge that makes the person feel uncomfortable.

Whether we like to admit it or not, the age at which young people reach puberty and begin to experiment sexually is descending to the pre-teenage years.

There is a growing public awareness that underage sex is happening with greater frequency. The ready availability of contraceptive protection has totally changed young people's attitude to sexual abstinence. Advertisements for the prevention of HIV infection have taught teenagers that responsible sex means using protection.

Adolescents are more likely to accept the messages about enjoying "safe sex" from the media than an abstinence message from church or parents.

The figures for teenage pregnancies are undeniable. Some teenage girls and boys do not just experiment sexually but go on to have intercourse and become parents. This is a worrying trend and one that governments in Ireland and Britain are trying to tackle.

In May 1994, two months before Niamh Bhreathnach announced the introduction of compulsory RSE in schools here, all state schools in Britain were requested to revise their sex education programmes. The purpose of the revision was to ensure that all instruction takes place in a clear moral framework.

Tony Blair's administration is so worried about the number of teenage mothers that the social-security minister, Frank Field, has drawn up a plan to offer girls who are most at risk of teenage pregnancy enhanced educational options.

We are not sure why young people are reaching puberty earlier. It may be due to better nutrition or to hormones in the food chain. However, we can be sure that one of the consequences of such early maturation is that girls and boys must be educated in relationships and communication skills before they are put in a position where they have to refuse sexual advances for which they are not prepared.

Effective RSE teaches students to communicate honestly about their feelings. It builds up their sense of self-esteem so they are better equipped to make moral choices about delaying sexual activity. Would a caring parent deny them this right?

Carmel Wynne teaches RSE.